Don’t let fake news make you give up on the media

It’s a logical consequence of free speech. The price we pay for our unlimited access to information and our right to free speech is that people will say ugly things and tell lies. It’s only dangerous if we allow it to be.

We can’t eliminate falsehood and we don’t need to. We need to learn how to doubt the information we’re given, to choose what to believe for ourselves.

If the current discourse surrounding the media and cries of fake news have made you believe you can’t trust journalism, that’s a vulnerable position to be in. No political narrative, no ideology, can substitute for ethical, fact-based journalism.

The tactics our president is using against the media are recognized, dirty and effective. By claiming that negative press is fake news — by discrediting the media — he clears the way for his own version of truth.

Maybe I’m wrong to think he wants you to believe that any bad press he gets is a fabrication — “fake news.”

But then again, maybe not.

Good journalism exists! It’s everywhere. Every day, ethical journalists are working their asses off to cut through all the noise and tell stories that need to be told, to inform the public and give them the tools they need to make decisions.

So, from a beginner doing everything she can to contribute to a new generation of media: don’t quit on us. Give us the chance to earn your trust.

— Katherine Taylor is a former Student Life writer, but now she’s a traitor because she doesn’t work with the Statesman anymore.